THE ART OF VEGETABLE PREPARATION

VEGETABLE BASICS

by Lawrence Wilson, MD

Vegetables are officially defined as edible roots, stems, leaves and flowers. Vegetables number in the thousands, though most people deprive themselves of the delicious tastes, colors and textures of most of them by just eating a few. Vegetables have been eaten for as long as mankind has been on earth. Hopefully this article will have you trying at least 10 more varieties.

DEFINING VEGETABLES

Fruits versus vegetables. Vegetables are the leaves and more fibrous roots and other parts of plants. They are to be distinguished from fruits, which are defined as expanded ovaries of plants. Fruits are generally sweeter, and contain seeds while vegetables do not. Some foods that are considered vegetables are, in fact, fruits from a botanical point of view. This is important to know in nutritional balancing science, because we do not prefer these foods. They include:

1. All nightshades: These include all tomatoes, white and red potatoes, eggplant, and all peppers – both sweet red, yellow and green peppers and hot chile peppers of all varieties, of which there are hundreds.

2. All squashes, such as summer, winter, spaghetti, butternut, acorn, zuccini, pumpkin, and others. These are all rather yin, although the winter varieties such as acorn, butternut, and spaghetti squash are acceptable to eat more often, as they are less yin than the others.

3. Others, such as cucumbers, okra, green beans and peas. The latter two, however, (green beans or string beans, and peas) are not very yin and are excellent vegetables for everyone.

Herbs versus vegetables. Vegetables differ from herbs and spices in that vegetables can be eaten in large quantities on a daily basis. Herbs and spices include many leaves, stems or roots of plants. However, they either have very strong flavors or they contain slightly toxic substances that make them unsuitable for everyday eating, except in very small quantities. Vegetables differ from grains in that grains are actually the seeds of plants, not the leaves, stems or roots.

VEGETABLES AND YOUR HEALTH

The cruciferous vegetables. Much research lately has focused on the health benefits of vegetables. One of the healthiest families of vegetables are the crucifers. All are rich sources of sulfur of a particular kind, along with hundreds of other nutrients and phytochemicals. These vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, turnip root and greens, rtabaga, arugula, radishes (many types), watercress and wasabi. These amazing foods contain substances that can help prevent cancer and many other life-threatening conditions.

Onion, garlic, and ginger root family. These are very powerful vegetables that help kill parasites, are very nourishing, contain a lot of selenium, and more.

Lettuce family. Lettuce, dandelion root and leaves and others are helpful for the liver.

Vegetable juices. Cabbage juice may help stomach ulcers. Carrots and carrot juice have long been advocated to help regenerate the liver and for cancer therapy.

Books such as Raw Vegetable Juices by Norman Walker describe which vegetables or juices may be of help for various health conditions. However, do not overdo on juices. The main problem with juices is they are very yin or cold in Chinese medical terminology. This is not helpful today. That is why I prefer people eat whole and cooked vegetables most of the time. However, 10-12 ounces of carrot or other vegetable juice is excellent daily for all adults. For much more on this topic, read Carrot Juice on this website.

Harmful vegetables. Vegetables can occasionally aggravate health conditions. For example, I suggest avoiding completely the nightshade vegetables – white and red potatoes, tomatoes, all peppers, including hot peppers, red and green peppers, and eggplant. Eating them can aggravate joint pain in some people, and they all contain a poison called solanin. Your digestion will improve if it is weak, as it is in most people, by eliminating these vegetables.

FIBER

Fiber is an important component of vegetables. Most of it is cellulose, an insoluble fiber that we cannot digest. Fiber helps keep food moving through the intestines and helps prevent constipation, diverticulosis, diverticulitis and even cancer. Fiber also assists in the production of vitamins in the intestines and can support the proliferation of friendly bacteria.

If one does not eat many vegetables, the diet may lack fiber. This is especially true if one eats mainly refined grains such as white flour, white bread, white pasta and white rice, all of which have had their fiber removed.

Fiber can, however, impair the absorption of nutrients from vegetables, since many nutrients are locked inside the stems and leaves. It is essential to chew your vegetables. Another way of unlocking the goodness of vegetables is to cook them. This breaks down the fiber and makes it much easier for the body to absorb the minerals and other nutrients. One can also place vegetables in a juicer or even a powerful blender to assist nutrient absorption.

MINERALS FROM VEGETABLES

Vegetables are an essential source of minerals such as calcium, potassium, selenium, germanium and many others. The mineral content varies greatly depending on where and how the vegetables are grown. Cooking the vegetables greatly enhances the availability of the minerals in most vegetables by breaking down the tough vegetable fibers and often by concentrating the food so that more can be eaten easily.

Iron. Iron is found in dark leafy greens and in beets. While they contain significant amounts of iron, it is not quite as absorbable as the iron found in meats.

Magnesium and chlorophyl. Leafy vegetables are rich in chlorophyll, a fascinating substance that plants use to generate energy from sunlight. Its structure is very similar to hemoglobin, the molecule in our blood that carries oxygen to all the cells. The only difference is that hemoglobin contains an atom of iron in the center, while chlorophyll contains an atom of magnesium. This difference causes chlorophyll to be green while hemoglobin is red.

Leafy green vegetables are rich in magnesium. These include lettuce, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, beet greens, watercress and cilantro.

Sulfur. The radish, onion and cabbage families are excellent sources of sulfur, another important trace mineral. These include white, yellow, red and green onions, chives, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, red and green cabbage and Chinese cabbage.

Iodine and sea vegetables. These contain many trace elements, plus a lot of iodine. They include kelp, dulse, and Irish moss. Less well-known sea vegetables are wakame,hiziki and nori. Sushi often comes wrapped in nori leaves, which feel like a piece of thin paper and have a pleasant taste. Sea vegetables are extremely rich sources of minerals, but contain higher amounts of toxic metals because the oceans are somewhat contaminated. Kelp is unique because it contains a substance called alginate that helps prevent the absorption of toxic metals. In fact, it helps our bodies eliminate these metals. Therefore, I mainly recommend kelp, which is an excellent vegetable to eat in granules, or preferably capsules since it does not taste great. One can also buy the leaves and cook them, though this is more work and not really necessary. For more information, read Kelp on this website.

THE ROOT VEGETABLES

Root vegetables deserve special mention and are too often ignored. Carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, daikon (white radish), celery root, garlic, ginger root, red beets, golden beets, black, white and red radishes, burdock root and others are among them.

They have been staple foods in many civilizations for thousands of years. Although the potato is a staple food in many groups, it is not actually a root, but a tuber. It belongs to a different class of vegetables, the nightshades. These can cause joint pain and other symptoms for some people. I prefer sweet potatoes and yams to the regular white potatoes.

Roots are more yang in Chinese medicine, as they grow under the earth. This quality is beneficial for many people. They also store very well, which helps if you do not enjoy shopping every few days.

Roots are starchy vegetables, which means they will fill you up quite well if you eat enough of them. Yet they are far easier to digest than starches such as breads, and far more nutritious than most bread as well. Most roots require cooking for 30-40 minutes to help break down their fibrous parts and turns their starches into sugars.

True, the roots are less beautiful than the greens and in some instances like celery root, downright ugly. Let this not deter you from eating them regularly. Roots are among the most concentrated sources of vitamins and minerals available to us. They are also delicious steamed or stir-fried, or in soups or casseroles.

ORGANICALLY GROWN ARE USUALLY BEST

Organically grown vegetables tend to contain less pesticide residues than commercial produce and are usually much richer in minerals and some vitamins. A study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition tested organic and commercial produce purchased in Chicago stores. Compared to the regular produce, the organic food had an average of twice the levels of minerals. Organic foods are often fertilized with more trace elements than commercial produce. Other studies have shown the same thing.

Eating organic also sends a message to farmers that you prefer we not poison the earth with toxic sprays. Organic vegetables often taste better, especially carrots, potatoes and celery. Eating organic may turn a non-vegetable eater into a vegetable lover simply because organically grown tastes better.

Note that organic food may still contain some pesticide and herbicide residues since toxic sprays can blow from one field to another. Also, pesticides used in past years may still be present in the soil used to raise the organic produce.

The variety of organic vegetables available in markets is growing fast. Indeed, this is the fastest growing sector of the agricultural marketplace. They cost a little more, but prices are coming down and they are worth having if you can find them and afford them. Sometimes supermarkets sell organic produce without even marking it as so, because the organic food has a longer shelf life. This is just another advantage to the organic or sustainable method of agriculture.

FRESH, FROZEN OR CANNED?

The best way to enjoy vegetables is to eat them fresh. They will have the most nutrition in this form and will often taste best. However, if you are unable to shop often, frozen vegetables are the next best alternative. If vegetables are frozen when they are very fresh, they will retain many of their nutritional qualities. In fact, sometimes freshly frozen peas, green beans and others are better than fresh ones if the fresh ones have been shipped long distances and are not that recently picked.

Canned vegetables are much better than none at all. However, they are less desirable, as they may be old and they may suffer more damage in canning than they do when frozen. Cans that are soldered may leach lead into the food. Cans that are crimped to close them are better. Some cans are lined with toxic plastic liners, but others are not.

COOK ALL OF YOUR VEGETABLES

Cooking all vegetables is best. I know this flies in the face of many doctor’s recommendations. Here are the reasons:

1. Better mineral absorption. While cooking destroys a few vitamins, it makes the minerals in the vegetables much more absorbable. In raw salads, the minerals are locked into the fiber, which is hard for human beings to digest in most cases. Cooking softens the fibers, making the minerals more readily available.

2. More yang. This is extremely important today. All raw food is more yin, which is not desirable. Read the article entitled Raw Foods and Yin And Yang Healing to understand this better.

3. Cooking often concentrates the food so you can eat much more of it. This is particularly the case with greens such as spinach and other leaves.

4. Kills millions of germs that may be on the produce. This is a problem with salads of all kinds today, especially if you don’t wash the vegetables yourself, as occurs in restaurants.

5. More soothing and easier to digest in other ways. In addition to softening the fibers, warming the food to near body temperature assists a damaged digestive tract, which is the case with almost everyone today. In contrast, cold food is a little harder on the digestive tract as it must be warmed up inside oneself.

Vegetable preparation. The right equipment makes preparing vegetables more pleasurable. Buy a vegetable knife. These have a wide, thin blade made for slicing. Mac is one excellent brand of knives.

Steaming vegetables. A great idea is to buy a vegetable steamer. It makes cooking vegetables very easy. Just load them into the steamer and set the timer. Cleanup is simple as well. You can also use a simple vegetable steamer that fits inside a saucepan. This is a non-electric device that fits into most saucepans and turns the pot into a steamer. Alternatively, steam vegetables by just putting a small amount of water in a covered saucepan and adding your vegetables. Drink the cooking water in this case, as it will contain many minerals.

Stir-frying vegetables. This is another popular method for cooking vegetables. Just put vegetables in a frying pan and add a little butter, olive oil or just even water and stir often. Do not use much coconut oil, as it is too yin. A Chinese method of stir-frying uses a wok, a pan specially shaped for lightly cooking vegetables in a little oil.

Roasting vegetables. This is also popular, as it can be done on the stove-top, in the oven, or on a barbeque. It gives the vegetables a flame-roasted appearance and taste that many people love.

Crock pot vegetables. This is also very popular. Buy a crock pot, which usually costs less than $20.00 USD. Vegetables can be placed in it without cutting them up at all, in most cases, which saves time and keeps all the tasty juices inside. They cook slowly and usually won’t burn. You can set them in the crock pot at bedtime and they will be cooked and ready to eat when you wake up. You can also set them in the crock pot before you leave home for work, and they will be cooked and ready to eat when you arrive home later. You can add chicken or meat and have a complete meal, all cooked for you with very little effort.

Baking vegetables in the oven. This is also a good way to make certain vegetables such as carrots, onions and others.

Vegetable soups. Eating whole cooked vegetables is probably best, as they are chewed, and this begins digestion in the mouth. The best soups are very thick soups. Soups with a lot of liquid are not as good because the extra liquid can impair digestion, especially in some people.

Vegetable soups are simple and tasty, and usually do not require stirring or other attention. Most can be made in 30 to 45 minutes. Just a few vegetables are often best. Onion and celery will add sweetness, if needed. Try to start with excellent ingredients, and it will taste delicious. Do not overseason it, as it is usually not needed.

If you are in a huge hurry, two options are 1) powerful blenders like the Vita-Mix and Ninja types will actually cook a vegetable puree soup in about 5 minutes, I believe, by spinning the vegetables extremely fast. This may not be as good as gentle cooking, but it is very fast. 2) Some excellent frozen vegetable soups are also available at most supermarkets. You just place the bag of frozen ingredients in a pot of boiling water and the soup is ready in five or ten minutes.

Seasoning vegetables. They can be seasoned with a little oregano, rosemary, thyme, curry powder, or any of a dozen other simple mild herbs and spices. Fancy cooking skills are not required. Be sure to start with excellent quality vegetables and they will have wonderful flavors.

Leftovers. While fresh is best, to save time you may cook enough for two days. It is best not to keep leftovers more than a day or two, as they will deteriorate somewhat, but on occasion it is fine. You can freeze leftovers, as well. If possible, make them fresh every day. You can make a lot of vegetables in the morning, and then take some to work and eat them all day.

HOW MUCH?

I find that everyone needs loads of cooked vegetables to obtain one’s basic nutrition. Eat about 70% of your diet as cooked vegetables. This amounts to about 9-10 cups of cooked vegetables for an adult. This may seem like a lot, but it is not that difficult with a little practice. Eat vegetables preferably three times daily, and at least at two meals daily. For example, breakfast can be a bag of frozen peas or green beans. These take only a few minutes to prepare and are quite tasty.

Preferably keep your meals very simple for best digestion. Have just two or three foods at a meal, or even just one food per meal. Make one of these foods cooked vegetables.

USE TOPPINGS IF YOU DO NOT LIKE SIMPLE COOKED VEGETABLES

To help you eat your vegetables, and especially to help children to eat them, make it fun. Have a dozen or more toppings ready to put on your vegetables. Here are some suggestions for toppings:

Fresh cream, whipped cream or butter

Olive oil

Some plain yogurt

Grated cheese, preferably raw, full-fat cheese

Mustard sauce. Mustard is an excellent herb

Other herbs of many kinds

Almond butter mixed with a little water

Thai – peanut butter sauce

Chinese – real soy sauce

A few chopped nuts or seeds

Salad dressings you make yourself or you buy

Sesame dressing

Pesto sauce

Relishes

Tomato and Chile pepper sauces like Tabasco sauce if you wish, but only occasionally. Peppers and tomato are nightshade family vegetables, which are best avoided. Hot spices are irritating, and are much less recommended for this reason.

To thicken sauces, arrowroot powder is superb and very nutritious

For fancier vegetable recipes, many natural food cook books can be helpful. One that is completely dedicated to nutritional balancing science is Joyful Cooking by Joy Feldman.

CHILDREN AND VEGETABLES

Many parents have trouble getting their children to eat vegetables. Here are a few ideas:

1. Don’t lecture your children. Instead, set a great example. Eat plenty of vegetables yourself. Ideally, fill half your plate filled with vegetables whenever you eat, at least twice daily. Children will often imitate you.

2. Create tasty sauces your children enjoy to put over the vegetables. See the suggestions above for ideas.

3. Disguise vegetables in other dishes, if needed. For ideas, read the article entitled Fourteen Ways To Disguise Vegetables.

4. Puree vegetables if a child does not like the texture of vegetables. To make a puree soup, cook vegetables for 10 minutes or more. Then pour the mix into a blender and blend for about 15 seconds. Then cook it some more and most vegetables will not be recognizable.

5. Make it fun. Grow a garden. For young children, carve little faces on vegetables, slice them creatively, arrange them creatively on a plate, and in other ways make them attractive to children. Dip them in fun sauces or otherwise make them more attractive.

6. Start introducing vegetables when children are very young. This can help children to feel they are just normal food. For instance, frozen peas can help toddlers when teething and make a refreshing snack in hot weather for older children as well.

7. Beware of allowing your children to mix and play with children who have learned to hate vegetables. This is all too common.

8. For quick, easy meals and snacks for children and adults, read Fast Food For Nutritional Balancing.

Dried vegetable capsules. If you will not eat enough vegetables, a type of vegetable food supplement I strongly recommend, along with kelp capsules, are capsules of dried vegetables. Many brands are available at health food stores. These will supply extra vegetables for those who don’t like eating them on a daily basis or who may need more of the nutrients than standard portions supply.

Dried vegetable powders are not as good, in my opinion. These are sold as “green superfoods”, for example. The main reason is that dried, chopped vegetables can oxidize and turn rancid quickly. I believe that the vegetable capsules, while more costly, are much better and safer.

JUICING VEGETABLES

Juicing is when the vegetables are run through a juicer that removes the pulp or fiber. So one does not get the fiber, just the juice. This concentrates many nutrients in the vegetables. Carrot is a popular one to juice, as it is quite sweet and delicious. You can add some greens, some ginger, turnip, beet or other raw vegetables as well for more richness, flavor or therapeutic reasons.

I suggest that most everyone today drink 10-12 ounces of carrot juice daily. This will provide an important form of calcium and many other nutrients that most everyone needs. Do not skip this aspect of a nutritional balancing program or any health program.

However, more than this much juice is not helpful for most people. It is far too yin, it upsets the blood sugar in many cases, and it can tear up the digestive tract in some cases. Avoid becoming a juice fanatic, please.

Which juicer is best? Any juicer will do. The least costly are the centrifugal juicers. The masticating type such as the Champion or Green Power are a little easier to clean, perhaps, and may extract a little more juice.

What about blenders for carrot juice? Powerful blenders such as the Vita-Mix, Ninja and other machines do not make juice from carrots as well. I would use a juicer, not a blender.

DRIED VEGETABLE SNACKS

In recent years, health food stores have begun selling plastic containers of dried vegetables. These are excellent as snacks, though they may be a bit more costly.

Another recent innovation are vegetable chips. These are also okay for snacks, especially if they do not contain sugar and chemical additives.

CONCLUSION

It is easy to make jokes about vegetables, the soggy, limp pile of spinach tucked under the corner of a juicy steak. Yet vegetables are a major food group enjoyed by all human civilizations throughout all time. They are also our major source for many vital minerals, vitamins, fiber, and many other nutrients.

So eat plenty of vegetables – at least a large serving twice a day. Also, be sure to have your 10 to 12-ounce glass of carrot juice every day. This will assure that you get a wide variety of essential nutrients, some of which are simply not available from any other food source or food supplements.

References

1. J. Applied Nutrition, 1993:45(1);35-39.

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